Any other fishkeepers out there?

Froglet

Notsosharp wrote: »

Hi I was just looking for some advice really.

I was recently given a fish tank which is now filled and has pride of place in my living room. I have read a book and I know about checking the PH levels of the water, changing 50% of the water every three weeks etc. The fish seem happy enough atm but I was just wondering if there was anything else I needed to do. They are just plain old goldfish and one black moor.

I feed them twice a day (I have five fish) and never give them more than they can eat in five minutes but they still seem hungry as they keep going to the top of the tank like they are looking for more food. I also read that you can give them swatted flies and I have given them one which they seemed to enjoy (it was a big fly and gone in one gulp, even though my fish are only little!) but I was told by someone else that you shouldn't give them flies.......

What else can I do to keep my little fishies happy?

PS: Do fish sleep?!!

Lots of good advice so far ,if you have any further questions this website is by far and away the best i have ever come across and i only wish they had been around when i started as we all make mistakes and it is the poor fish that suffer.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/forum/index.php

Friendly and very knowledgeable people.

Notsosharp

Thank you for all your advice everyone.

I don't think I have overstocked, it is a pretty big tank, takes up a big shelf in my living room. I know goldfish grow though so I won't be putting any more in, I do know people with garden ponds though, my Mum and her friend so if they do get too big they can go in there.

I did think about getting tropical fish but I thought I had better start with goldfish until I know I can keep them alive. They don't seem messy atm but they have only been in there a week! I have been given a thing to suck all the poo off the bottom but I am not sure how to use it, I will have a look at it tonight.

Oh and I did cycle the water before I put any fish in, I left it for a week with the pump running. They aren't going to the top now, they seem more interested in grubbing about at the bottom.

Froglet

Sorry,but "leaving the water for a week with the pump running" is NOT cycling it at all.The amount of waste that goldfish produce is huge,as they have no stomachs and most of what they eat goes straight through them.This very quickly leads to a build up,first of ammonia,then that turns to nitrate.Both are VERY poisonous to fish.A matured filter,ie one that has had filter food added,which you have to buy specifically,needs at least 3 weeks,with very close monitoring with test kits.At this time,no fish should be present.

As i suggested,if you go to the practical fishkeeping site,you will find lots of help.You will also find many instances of people who have not followed this simple but effective way of preparing a tank.They ultimately end up with a lot of problems and lose many fish before they realise you need a lot of patience and must introduce fish very slowly.

If as you ask,you want to keep your fish happy and healthy,then I would put the larger of the fish into the ponds ASAP,and just keep 2.They may just then stand a chance.Keep feeding to an absolute minimum and get some filter food for your filter .

JasonLVC

Jus to confirm some of the other posts :-

1. Don't feed them twice a day. I feed my goldfishes one every other day. They only look hungry/opening mouth becue they're reactingto your shape/colour of clothing outside the tank. Note that they aren't up top when you're not near them. Mine are partial to fresh garden peas. Mmmm.

(I've also seen my fish eat a golden apple snail that had died and I'd not noticed as had been away, but caught them picking at the flesh before I removed the deceased creature - they really liked that one!)

2. Too much food will increase the nitrates in the water so less food = cleaner water + balanced nitrates/Ph = happier fish

3. Use a specialist tank prep which cancels out the chlorine in the water and starts the good bacteria off to a good start.

4. Fish always at the top and 'gasping' would suggest not enough oxyegen in the water/nitrates so also consider an air filter to pump so bubbles into that water for them.

Fish are great to keep once you understand the basic chemistry of keeping their water clean and balanced.

Notsosharp

Re: Putting no fish in for a week not being cycling I actually asked the man at the fish shop (who has been doing it for the best part of 20 years) and he said it would be Okay to inroduce the fish after a week. I wouldn't have put fish in otherwise, I don't want them to die.

And I'm watching the tank now and they aren't going to the top when I'm not there, I didn't realise they reacted to the colours of my clothes and things. I will stop feeding them every day though, will every other day be okay?

Its hard to know which ones to put in the pond (if I need to) as they are still quite small and my Mum already has fairly big fish in there. I would just be worried they would get eaten or attacked by them.

nitrAtes, nitrItes and any ammonia - It didn't say anything in the book about checking for these...how do you check them? Do you get kits or something?

Just worked out the volume of the tank is 72l so its not overstocked if I allow as advised 20l for first fish and 10l for each fish after. My friend wanted to get me another fish but I will tell him not to bother as it will be overstocked then.

Eagle_1

Our goldfish have survived a couple of years and they came from the fair (but I got them out of the tub not the ones hanging up).
I clean em when the waters dirty, I feed em once a day ad they are doing brilliantly.
My tropical fish on the other hand who I tend to look after more carefully always die on me.....so what does that tell you

suki1964

If each fish is looking for 10 Gallons of water and you only have 72 litres (16 gallons) - you have too small a tank

Paparika

Eagle_1 wrote: »

Our goldfish have survived a couple of years and they came from the fair (but I got them out of the tub not the ones hanging up).
I clean em when the waters dirty, I feed em once a day ad they are doing brilliantly.
My tropical fish on the other hand who I tend to look after more carefully always die on me.....so what does that tell you

My dad had a tropical tank as well as the big pond in the garden.

Tropical can be a nightmare, i got all excited as a kid when he bought a few seahorses as i do like them, and they died, the only thing i remember thriving was clown fish and the anemone (sp) that they lived in.i think on average most things lasted 2 years and that was it, (unless thats how long they live for)

Used to love going to the tropical fish shop with him to see what was in stock, and getting scared at the ribbon eel, i think thats what you called it all long and ribbon like, and an electric eel.

Although we were quite proud after his tropical fish days when he swapped to cold water, he caught some crayfish and kept them for 5 years and then we took them back to where we got them, not something you can do now i guess.

Froglet

Oh dear,the myths that still abound where fish are concerned!! The ones that survive through minimum space and care are the lucky ones,they exist only, and could do so much better.Unless it is a really big tank i believe,and so do many,that goldfish are so much happier in a pond.Except for the fancy varieties,that don't survive cold winters.

Fish that remain in too small tanks will become stunted and get many health problems later on.A fish,well cared for,can live for 30+ years.Many of my pond fish are coming up to 20.

The test kits are the very basic things you should have with any tank.You cannot tell the chemistry of the water by the look or colour of it.And you cannot tell a fish is suffering until it is often too late.One fish need a minimum of 40 litres to thrive,and more as it grows.Your goldfish,Notsosharp,will be fine in a pond,so long as they are no smaller than 2 inches long.Bigger goldfish will only eat fry.

The whole cycling process and testing is explained here

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=498 and explains in far better detail than i could go into.

I am not trying to appear critical,please understand i am only trying to help so that in x no of weeks down the line you don't get upset when your fish get sick.

By the way.Paparika,the tank you talk about was a marine set up,not a tropical.Tropicals are easier in that they can be kept in smaller tanks as they don't grow,well some of them don't!!

~Chameleon~

Notsosharp wrote: »

Thank you for all your advice everyone.

I don't think I have overstocked, it is a pretty big tank, takes up a big shelf in my living room.

If you have the tank on a shelf then I can tell you immediately that this tank is way too small for possibly one goldfish, let alone five. The size of tank they need would be far too heavy to even contemplate putting on a shelf, it would need a proper stand. You'd be looking at a 6' tank minimum for your fish

I did think about getting tropical fish but I thought I had better start with goldfish until I know I can keep them alive.

This is a common misconception that goldfish are easier to keep and it annoys me that people (not saying you do) have this throw-away attitude towards them :mad:

I'd say tropicals are relatively easy fish to keep, and a lot easier than goldfish!

Oh and I did cycle the water before I put any fish in, I left it for a week with the pump running. They aren't going to the top now, they seem more interested in grubbing about at the bottom.

As pointed out elsewhere, cycling the water is far more involved than just running the pump for a week. It involved adding a small amount of food to get the process started then testing the water at intervals. All in all it can take up to a month before it's ready for fish to be added and then it's a gradual process in building up stock levels.


PS This thread has just reminded me that they gave the "inmates" on BB a couple of goldfish to look after in one those plastic bowls!!!! :mad: :mad: then last night they announced one had died - what the hell did they expect would happen!!! :mad: :mad: